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SID ISRAEL Panel 31 March 2020 Covid 19 outbreak in the Developing world

LIVE Coverage & Reporter’s Perspective: Ofer Markman, PhD

Was listening to SID Israel preparatory information session on COVID-19 preparations for developing countries from March 31, which is centuries ago in the development of this crisis.

Reminder Europe was in a crisis, the USA and the UK were showing a sign they will join but not have quiet caught up.

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with historical perspectives a first world – developing world perspective is no longer relevant in many ways. Some of the issues that were raised in way the “first” world was reacting to the shock the situation has caused the European nations were affecting smaller nations within Europe already; yet the intensity of the situation and the speed this crisis is developing has not allowed us to free our minds to understand it.

While Europe has suffered dramatically, and Spain, Italy and France are at the heat of the pandemics Europe has not come to it as a unified community/country and the outcome of which are already staggering, The “brutal fight” for protective gear and all kind of panic based measures taken by countries such as Germany, have caused havoc in countries in Europe that are mostly dependent on neighbor countries for their supplies in what looked like the open borders of Europe.

The evidence for this is not in cries from these countries but in the numbers: San Marino is the country with the highest death and illness rates (per Million) in Europe, 5-20 times the numbers of surrounding Italy, and So is Andorra, Luxembourg, Gibraltar, Monaco and even Liechtenstein, be it masks, tests or other measures that where missing, be it sanitation, disinfection or missing food essentials that depended on neighboring countries the outcomes are still outrageous.

Outside of this there are major challenges that developing countries are facing in some of the paradigms regardless of the major impacts of border closures, flight restrictions, custom restrictions and general crisis based regulation and bureaucratic hurdles added to normal limitations of working over borders

Some issues raised were issues of cultural and economical differences but to many of those the solutions are those that were already worked before: collaboration on community level across organizations and aid sectors, exchange of information, and working with local leadership

the panel was in a way on putting borders between humanity and virus and not between us human.

It was meant as a brain-storm and not a lecture.

The rep of WHO Europe HQ in Denmark shared their sometimes frustration over border limits and human/supply movement amid urgent need as well as the price war between countries and organizations.

But had pride in their success in putting together efforts and using long term relations to overcome and set up regional labs as preparatory measure.

Covid-19 is a challenge since it so far hit the hardest in Europe and the USA the epicenters of humanitarian aid and understanding that there is a “we are all in it together” takes a bigger perspectives (e.g. we have to dea with covid 19 in prisons and detention centers, refugee camps and other “off the map” places even in the US-Mexico borders, across war borders and in communities of great marginalization.

Yet often a small effort can make miracles, an advice on who to talk to and who to work with on a school, religion, community leadership can be more important then a box of gloves.

Another issue is the balance of disease mitigation in a community with zero margins on the hunger front, with a hard balance on the sanitation issues nad the innability to inflict stricter clossure on the camps that are already suffering form over closures to the brink of disaster.

I recommend listening albeit long discussion, you may skip the first ten mins intro if short in time.